As the platform increases in popularity, the question is Aliexpress legit and safe starts appearing. We have tons of options of marketplaces these days. Some are proven to be solid, safe, and legit, while are…well, quite shady and questionable. Aliexpress is growing in popularity. More and more people know it and they are interested in buying from the marketplace. But can you entrust it with your money and your data?
Safety Consideration
It is pretty understandable why the question is Aliexpress legit appears. With the increasing numbers of digital users, there are many marketplaces that are also showing up. These marketplaces are designed to cater the needs of the users. It may be convenient for users to buy the stuff they need online, but such a thing also proposes the challenges and difficulty of the online system.
Security threats and digital risks are growing. The possibility of spam, spying, and scams are overwhelmingly increasing – it gets bigger and bigger every day. In most cases, users have to entrust these marketplace platforms with their data – and their money. It’s no wonder if there are many complaints concerning various different kinds of platforms, whether it is related to the possibility of a scam, poor service, lousy handle and management, and even shady vendors (or sellers).
When compared to Amazon or eBay, Aliexpress is relatively new. It’s quite normal when people start questioning is Aliexpress legit. Yes, it is a popular platform nowadays, but can you trust it? Is it safe to perform transactions there? Will your data be safe and protected?
About Aliexpress in General
So, what is Aliexpress anyway? It is a popular and likable online marketplace where people can buy products at much cheaper rate – especially when compared to other similar marketplaces, such as the Amazon. That’s why the question is Aliexpress legit shows up because most people would be doubtful about the low price. It seems too good to be true, right? Low price is often associated with mischievous actions and shady criminal activities – that’s why many people are suspicious about Aliexpress’s safety and validity.
Aliexpress was established in 2010. The owner is Alibaba, which is another well-known company from China. Alibaba is a multinational company that focuses on computing and e-commerce. It has even gained a reputation as one of the biggest internet companies in the world.
Is Aliexpress Legit And Safe?
So, is Aliexpress legit and safe? As a part of the bigger Alibaba Group, it is safe to say that the marketplace is relatively safe. It is claimed to be a reliable and trusted platform to buy items at a cheaper price. And since Alibaba Group focuses mostly on media and commerce, you can entrust the company’s reputation. Moreover, Aliexpress provides complete refunds to serve the users and shoppers – in case the products arrive late or damaged, or even worse: it doesn’t arrive at all.
Just like Amazon, you can find various kinds of items on the platform. Electronics, toys, fashion (men, women, kids), jewelry, beauty products, skincare, furniture, hair products, and even motorcycles and cars. However, you won’t be able to buy digital media, ebooks, software, and weaponry at the marketplace.
The reason why the products can be inexpensive (if not dirt cheap) is because of the merchants. They are based in China and they take all of their goods from Chinese manufacturers, suppliers, and markets directly. Because of this, the costs can be kept down – resulting in these merchants able to offer extremely cheap (or even free) shipping.
The expectation when Using Aliexpress
Whenever you use a platform, you should expect things from it. So, when you use Aliexpress, you should expect certain things, such as:
- Low price. This is one of the biggest fortes about the marketplace. When using Aliexpress, expect to find products being sold for quite low prices. When compared to regular and traditional physical stores, or even similar online marketplace, the prices at Aliexpress are relatively (and significantly) lower.
- Missing locations. Despite the benefits and strength, be ready for some flaws. When you add address within the platform and access the drop-down menus, you will find that some cities and regions are missing. But no need to worry, you should be able to enter the location manually. Simply provide them within the text fields for the street name and apartment number.
- English language. The English section is quite handy – and the English language is good. Although Aliexpress was originally designed as a Chinese site, it mostly runs in English. In general, there shouldn’t be any issue understanding everything within the platform.
- Payment and address addition. This mechanism is quite different. In other marketplaces, you may be required to add the payment method and shipping address (to the profile) when you first set up the account. In Aliexpress, however, you do this when you are doing the first checkout order. When you have provided the info, your account will automatically save it so your future orders can be made efficiently and smoothly.
Handy Tips and Tricks in Aliexpress
Many people have undergone wonderful times and experiences when they are accessing the marketplace. Many have known the trusted reputation, answering the question is Aliexpress legit and safe. But then, you can never let your guards down. There are several tips that you can do to maintain your own safety.
- Be careful of bootlegs. You should know that you won’t be able to find many American (or Western) brands on Aliexpress. Moreover, many of the products (non-Chinese ones) are typically counterfeit and fake. It shouldn’t be a problem if you want something just as affordable and looks similar to the real deal. The marketplace, however, may not be the perfect option for those who want to buy authentic stuff. It would be wise if you perform careful research concerning the seller as well as product reviews. Although Aliexpress is safe and legit, you can’t say the same as the products. Unfortunately, not many of them are legit.
- No tracking feature and long shipping time. Most of the sellers would offer free shipping. Who doesn’t like that, really? But then again, there are consequences and ‘risks’ for this option. If you choose to pick this feature, be ready for a long shipping time. It generally takes over than one month for your order to arrive. To make it even more complicated, you don’t have any tracking code to know where your order has been. It depends on your personal preference, really. If you want something fast, you need to consider paying extra for the tracking number and faster delivery. Tweak this option when you perform a checkout.
- The credit would be handy. Aliexpress doesn’t accept PayPal, money orders, and cheques. They focus entirely (and exclusively) on the credit cards. It is the main method of payment in the marketplace. One of the benefits is the fact that the marketplace is okay with major credit cards.
- Focus and research on the seller. It would be a good idea to focus on seller‘s research and focus. When you want to buy something, check for the seller’s feedback rating. You want to choose those with an average rating more than 4.5. If it is low than that, then you should forget it. Moreover, you want to check how many orders have the seller shipped. Choose sellers with 100 shipped orders, minimum. If they have more, it would be even better. And last, check the number of reviews – and how they are. Having 100 reviews (minimum) would be great, and how are they? Are they filled with positive reviews or negative ones? These things are crucial too.
To make transactions easy, you can also make use of the Aliexpress app for the smartphone. The app is available on Android and iOS. The app makes the management, paying, and arranging orders easy and more effective.
Now, you can see that using Aliexpress isn’t only easy, but it is also cheap and efficient. To answer the question is Aliexpress legit, now you know the answer and you can decide whether it is the right one for you or not.
